Assignment Overview

Situational Leadership

Situational leadership was originally developed by Paul Hersey and Kenneth Blanchard (1969). As the name implies, situational leadership requires adapting to situations that arise because the situational contingencies dictate your style for that moment. Situational leadership stresses that leadership is composed of both a directive and supportive dimension, and each has to be applied appropriately in a given situation. Although many theories of leadership are descriptive in nature, the situational approach is prescriptive. Situational leadership tells you what you should and should not do in various contexts. The three core competencies of a situational leader are: diagnosis, flexibility, and partnering. An example of a situational leader is a football coach who is able to adapt to each game of the season by diagnosing the situation, being flexible, and partnering with his or her team.

Please begin by reading:

Arvidsson, M., Johansson, C. R., Ek, A., & Akselsson, R. (2007). Situational leadership in air traffic control. Journal of Air Transportation, 12(1), 67-97. Retrieved July 15, 2014, from ProQuest (Document ID: 1303411551)

http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=1303411551&sid=6&Fmt=4&clientId=29440&RQT=309&VName=PQD

Yeakey, G.W. (2002). Situational leadership. Military Review. Retrieved on May 21, 2014, from http://www.au.af.mil/au/awc/awcgate/milreview/yeakey.htm

Please watch:

YouTube Video: Warren Bennis on Leadership Development retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NFHaHquIW0g&feature=related on May 15, 2014.

YouTube Video: Why You Should Invest in Leadership Development retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a86N1BC27uI on May 15, 2014.

YouTube Video: Ken Blanchard - Leadership Point of View retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZni2_j15PY&feature=fvwrel on May 15, 2014.

YouTube Video: Ken and Scott Blanchard retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M1uyU3YSqes on May 15, 2014.

Case Assignment

This Case Assignment has two parts:

Part A:

After doing some research, please prepare a 2 -3 page paper (not including the cover and reference pages) in which you:

Select a US leader who you consider to be an outstanding example of situational leadership. Conduct independent research on this individual and create a profile of this leader that addresses the following:

-Why does this leader exemplify situational leadership? Support your answer with specific examples.

-What added value did situational leadership bring to the organization/group this person was leading?

-Do you think situational leaders are born with natural skills or can individuals develop the skills needed to be an effective situational
leader? Justify your response.

-Discuss a time when you had to be a situational leader.

Select a leader from outside of the US who you consider to be an outstanding example of situational leadership. Conduct independent research on this individual and create a profile of this leader that addresses the following:

-Why does this leader exemplify situational leadership? Support your answer with specific examples.

-What added value did situational leadership bring to the organization/group this person was leading?

-Do you think situational leaders are born with natural skills or can individuals develop the skills needed to be an effective situational
leader? Justify your response.

-Discuss a time when you had to be a situational leader.

Part B:

Complete the following Situational Leadership Questionnaire (below) and then discuss your results in a 1-2 page paper. More specifically, do you agree with your results, how can you use your results to become a more effective leader, and how can this questionnaire be used for training and development purposes for most organizations.

Situational Leadership Styles Questionnaire

Directions

Assume you are involved in each of the following twelve situations. Each situation has four alternative actions you might initiate.

Read each item carefully.

Think about what you would do in each circumstance.

Circle the letter of the alternative action choice you think most closely describes what behavior you would use in the situation presented.

Circle only one choice.

Circle a choice for each of the twelve situations. Don't skip any.

Move through the items quickly and stick with the first choice you make on each item. Your first choice tends to be the most accurate one.